Charred leek, pearl barley and cheshire cheese salad

Name: Charred leek, pearl barley and cheshire cheese salad
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: 150g pearl barley; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 leeks, halved lengthways and cut into 10cm lengths; 10g salted butter; 150ml buttermilk (see tips); 3 tbsp mayonnaise; 120g cheshire or lancashire cheese, crumbled; 10g chives, finely chopped; 2 tsp cider vinegar; 2 granny smith apples, cored and sliced (see Before you start); 100g baby leaf spinach; 2 tsp sunflower seeds, lightly toasted in a dry pan

Portion size: Serves 4
Hands-on time 45 min
Difficulty: easy

Vegetarian

Emily Gussin

Food producer and sustainability lead, delicious.

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In this hearty salad, pearl barley and chunky strips of caramelised leek are coated in a cheesy buttermilk dressing – pure winter pleasure.

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Before you start

Put the apple slices in a bowl of water with a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice added to prevent them oxidising and turning brown.

Here the cheese adds a sharpness to the creamy dressing, but you could use feta or blue cheese instead.

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Ingredients

150g pearl barley
2 tbsp olive oil
2 leeks, halved lengthways and cut into 10cm lengths
10g salted butter
150ml buttermilk (see tips)
3 tbsp mayonnaise
120g cheshire or lancashire cheese, crumbled
10g chives, finely chopped
2 tsp cider vinegar
2 granny smith apples, cored and sliced (see Before you start)
100g baby leaf spinach
2 tsp sunflower seeds, lightly toasted in a dry pan

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Method

Put the pearl barley in a large pan of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook at a rolling boil for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until tender.
Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil, then the leeks, cut-side down. Cook for about 5 minutes, pressing down every now and then with a spatula to get a good char. Flip the leeks over and add the butter to the pan. Reduce the heat to low-medium, cover with a lid and cook for about 20 minutes until the leeks are tender all the way through.
In a jug, stir together the buttermilk, mayonnaise, cheese and most of the chives.
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Drain the pearl barley and put in a large bowl. Season and stir in the remaining 1 tbsp oil and the vinegar. Add the apple and spinach and toss together.
Transfer the pearl barley mix to a serving plate and top with the leeks, then pour over the cheese dressing and sprinkle with chives and the toasted sunflower seeds.